Whatever was I thinking? It’s hot in the desert! But would have been hotter near Yuma, even at Mittry Lake. Needed to BE somewhere over Easter weekend, so Why not.
Osprey
Although it was a treat to boondock by Mittry Lake the temperature would be rising into the high 90s, and soon beyond, around Yuma and that’s just too hot for us in the camper.
So after a 30 minute drive to Yuma I took care of errands and headed east, back to my favorite Owl camp in the Mohawk Mountains.
There were a few more flowers than the last visit. Especially the yellow flowering Brittlebush and red Ocotillo.
April’s full moon
This was just a one night stop.
In the morning I continued east to Gila Bend where I could dump tanks for free and bought diesel for under $5/gal. Headed south on SR85 for Ajo, one of my favorite little Sonoran desert towns. A quick stop at Olsens grocery scored my favorite ice cream but sadly Taco el Tarasco was closed for Easter weekend. So I headed into the desert to find a camp.
In fact, I drove out to Bates Well Road to the exact spot I camped last year for my birthday, putting me closer to Why, Arizona.
Then I settled in for the evening light.
By eight the next morning I was opening doors and windows at 65°. Why is it that during a winter day at the same temperature I’m freezing?
Sadly there was not enough signal to barely do anything as the phone bounced to Mexico. But that’s OK, at least for a few days.
Doves in Ocotillo Gamble Quail
And I had plenty to do other than sit outside and watch for birds.
I brought the laptop outside and worked on clearing storage space. Between photos and videos I’m constantly running out of space on the hard drive. Good thing I have externals for backup, but it takes time.
It stayed warm, but only reached a high of 80°, so I had windows open until well after sunset.
Bullocks Oriole on Ocotillo
Easter Sunday was predicted to reach 87° and I’m sure it did. As the sun heated water for my outdoor shower I continued to work outside on the laptop labeling photos. Yes, I’m anal that way and am over a year behind.
Desert quiet is palpable and thus my created word “deserquies”. A silence broken by a whirling dervish of wind sliding across the land, and then gone. If only I could bottle the aroma of sunshine heating the blooming desert, ode de desert is a scent I would wear. But instead I washed off my stink under a warm sun with nobody in sight, except maybe a turkey vulture who left me alone.
Monday was the hottest yet, reaching 97°. I dug out my summer dress and spent the day outside reading and watching lizards, birds, and an acrobatic grasshopper.
This grasshopper hid in the shade below the table top for over an hour before slowly climbing to the opposite side and on top of the table. Soon it jumped over me and landed on the camper tie-down (white spot above chain). OK, you can see I am easily amused.
With the holiday weekend over, I plotted my next destination, higher in elevation.
And on the drive back to pavement was gifted with a Red-tailed hawk posing next to a Saguaro for measurable time along the gravel road. I’ll bet the flight view to my next destination would be even better than what I saw on the ground.
